On the Verge of The First World War
Now Thames is long and winds its changing wayThrough wooded reach to dusky ports and gray,Till, wearily, it strikes the Flats of Leigh,An old life, tidal with Eternity. But Fal…
Escaping London
In the middle of the 19th century, Arthur Gibbs gives a Victorian view of dream of escaping London. London is becoming miserably hot and dusty; everybody who can get away…
The Battle of The Boots
During the war friendly rivalries emerged over different styles and equipment between the allies. Bean in his official ‘Australia in the First World War’ mentions about the ‘Battle of the Boots’ between…
Arrested For Carrying a Camera
This article appeared in the West Wimmera Mail, Australia on August 28, 1914. Early in the war there was a lot of fear and suspicion, spies were found everywhere. Poor…
The Life Expectancy Of A Junior Officer
There has been a common legend that the life expectation of a junior Officer in a front line battalion was only 3 weeks. While it is true that battalions suffered…
Progressing Backward
In 1925 Gertrude Jekyll remarked about the roads… The road was a kind of world in itself, full of personnel incident and human story. Now nearly all of this is…
Lord Kitchener's letter to the troops
Every soldier leaving for the front during 1914-15 received a copy of Lord Kitchener’s letter to the troops, it was a brief, soldierlike statement of the standard of conduct which…
What They Said – August 1914
On the outbreak of the Great War, August 1914. The lamps are going out over all Europe: we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime. Lord Grey (British…
The End of A World
On the 98th Anniversary of the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany, I thought I would post this amazing account by Esme Wingfield-Stratford from his excellent book “Before…
SS Sussex
SS Sussex was built by William Denny & Bros Ltd for the LBSCR. She was launched on 30 April 1896. She served on the Newhaven – Dieppe route. In 1913,…